Valve structure for apparatus for handling fluids under sterile conditions



1960 R. H. BUNDUS ET AL 2,959,192

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR APPARATUS FOR HANDLING FLUIDS UNDER STERILE CONDITIONS Filed June 27, 1957 INVENTORS RoberZH-Bund us G'ed rZJ C. Nor {Z .Peler P, jvozn z'cJT BYW 9%; W

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 1O VALVE STRUCTURE FOR APPARATUS FOR HAN- DLING FLUIDS UNDER STERILE CONDITIONS Robert H. Bundus, Gerald C. North, and Peter P. Noznick, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Beatrice Foods Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 27, 1957, Ser. No. 668,568

Claims. (Cl. 137-6371) Our present invention relates to an improved valve structure for use in apparatus for eifecting the sterile treatment and packaging of fluids, such as milk, which must be maintained in atmospheres devoid of contaminating and oxidizing agents.

More specifically, the invention relates to a valve structure which may be used for controlling the flow of sterilizing agents such as steam and hot water to all of the zones of a treating and packaging system, and also employed for controlling the flow of product material throughout such zones.

Fluid treating and handling apparatus for use with milk and similar products are well known and customarily include a plurality of interconnected material treating and handling zones excluding the atmosphere and including a source of material supply, a source of sterilizing fluid supply, and a packaging unit.

Various disadvantages have been present in prior apparatus known to us. The connections to the zones of the apparatus were independent, numerous and widely separated, causing difiicult. and time-consuming control ofthe apparatus. In addition, the sterilization of the numerous lines and independent valves has been a diflicult and time-consuming task, with undesirable .slugs of condensed sterilizing fluid, such as water, remaining in portions of the linm.

With the above and other disadvantages of prior apparatus of this type in mind it is, therefore, an object of our invention to provide a unitary valve structure operatively connecting the plurality of material handling and treating zones for controlling the flow of materials therethrough.

Another object of our invention is to provide a valve structure including a valve housing and a communicating chamber which may be separately sterilized and subsequently interconnected to control the flow of materials throughout the material handling and treating zones of g material handling and treating apparatus and interconnected material flow lines, (2) establishing communication of said housing and said chamber to permit flow of material from the source of supply through the chamber and housing to a material-treating unit and (3) controlling the flow of a treated material from said treating zone through said valve housing and to a material-packaging unit.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a valve structure of the above type including a pressurerelease valve providing a safety measure for the materialtreating apparatus.

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Another object of our invention is to provide a valve of the type described which is simple in construction and which will possess ease of operation and economy in manufacture.

With the above and other objects in mind reference is made to the accompanying drawings presenting a preferred embodiment of our invention, in which the single figure is a side view, in elevation, of our improved valve and chamber construction, having portions thereof broken away to more clearly illustrate details of construction.

With reference to the drawing, the valve structure consists of a valve housing 10 and a unit 12 having a chamber 14 interconnected by a passage 16 adapted to be closed by valve 18.

The valve structure of our invention provides a unitary control for effecting the flow of sterilizing agents and subsequently product material throughout the fluid handling and treating zones of an apparatus for the sterile treatment and packaging of fluids, such as milk, which are to be maintained free of contaminating and oxidizing agents. The fluid treating and handling apparatus does not form a part of our present invention and, therefore, has not been disclosed; however, it will be understood that valve structure herein presented has been found particularly well adapted for controlling the, operation of such an apparatus. 7

The valve structure includes a unit 12 provided with a port 20 adapted to be connected to sources of sterilizing fluid and material supply not shown. Additionally, a pressure relief valve 22 of conventional form communicates with the chamber 14 and a pneumatic valve-actuating mechanism 24 is provided for actuating the valve 18 through its associated stem 26.

The valve housing 10is provided with a pair of aligned ports'28 and 30 having opposed parallelvalve seats 32 and 34 respectively adapted to be alternately opened and closed by reciprocation of the valve 18. An intermediate port 36 is also carried by the valve housing 1( is provided with valve seat 38 adapted to be opened and closed'by another valve 40, biased into closed position by aspring 42, concentric to the valve stem 44 and abutting a projection 46 of the port. It will be noted that the valve stem 44 extends a short distance below the valve. 40 forming an operating abutment 45 for a purpose which will presently become apparent.

-In an operative association with :a fluid treating apparatus the housing 10 may be connected by the port 28 to a product-packaging unit (not shown) wherein the. material may be placed in individual containers under sterile conditions and/or isolated from the atmosphere. The port 36 connects the valve housing 10 with a material-treating zone, such as a milk or fluid condensing unit or the like. i

The valve 18 is provided with seat engaging portions 48 and 50 adapted to alternately close the valve seats 32 and 34 respectively of the aligned ports 28 and 30 upon actuation of the pneumatic cylinder 24 located within the unit 12. The valve 40 is'normally biased to closed position by the spring 42, as mentionedabove and is adapted to be opened when communication between the housing 10 and the unit 12 is discontinued by the closing of the valve 18 upon the seat 34. The mechanism for opening the valve 40 consists of an actuating stem 52 engaging the valve stem portion 45 in turn carried by a plunger 54 and operated by the spider56'as it is threaded on spaced portions 58 and 59 of the nipple 60. It will be observed by referring to the drawing that the nipple 60 is received and secured within a port. 62 diametrically opposing the port 36 of the valve housing 10.

For the purpose of providing effective sealing of joints and connections in our valve structure use has been made of a packing or joint construction wherein an inert gas or steam is introduced into a chamber within the joint under pressure whereby any tendency for leakage will be in a direction to prevent ingress of contaminating agents into the sterile treating and handling apparatus or valve structure. Such a packing or joint is illustrated in the drawing and associated with the sliding or reciprocating plunger 54 operated by the spider 56. This joint or gland is formed by sealing members comprising O-rings 64- and 66 respectively carried in annular grooves 68 and 70 of the nipple 60 and plunger 54. The O-ring packing assemblies seal the upper and lower ends of a chamber 72 formed by an enlarged bore 74 within the nipple 66 having communication at its upper end 76 through a conduit 78 to a source of inert gas or steam pressure, not illustrated. Although the remaining joints or packings of the valve structure may be similarly provided with an inert gas-type structure, conventional connections 80, 82 and '84 have been illustrated in connection with the present embodiment of the invention.

In the operation of our valve structure and the abovementioned associated apparatus for treating and packaging milk or other similar fluids sterilization is first effected with the valve 18 in the full line position shown in the drawing. Hot Water or live steam will be introduced into the unit 12 through port 20 from a source of supply not shown and live steam will be passed into the port 36 of the valve housing from the materialtreating zone or condensing unit. The live steam will enter the valve housing 10 from the condensation or treating zone through the port 36 and valve 40 as the spider 56 is manually threaded upwardly on nipple 58 forcing the stem 52 into valve-operating engagement with the lower extension 45 of valve stem 44. The live steam entering the port 36 will thus sterilize the interior of the valve housing 10 and will exhaust through port 28 to the material-packaging machinery to thereby effect sterilization of the same.

Thereafter the valve 40 is closed by retracting the stem 52 and plunger 54 upon unthreading of the spider 56 from the nipple 60. Next, the valve 18 will be seated on the seat 32 of port 28 by the air cylinder 24 and milk or other fluid to be treated will flow through port 20, passage 16, and port 30 under suflicient pressure to overcome the tension of spring 42, thus opening the valve 40 and permitting the material to enter the treating zone or other unit not shown. Whenever a sufficient supply of material has passed into the treating zones the valve 18 will be retracted under the influence of air cylinder 24 to the full line position shown in the drawing, closing port 30.

After the condensing or other material treatment has been completed in the treating zone of the associated apparatus the valve 40 is opened by moving the stem 42 and plunger 54 upwardly in the manner previously described. With the valve 40 open the treated material will pass from the treating zone downwardly through the port 36 and the valve housing 10 and to the materialpackaging unit through the port 28.

It will thus be seen that with the valve structure of our present invention a unitary device has been provided for effecting sterilization of the component parts of the valve structure, as well as sterilization of the zones of the material-treating and handling apparatus. Additionally, the material passage from the various interconnected zones of the treating and handling apparatus is effected by a unitary valve structure. Throughout the operation of the apparatus and valve structure of our invention the sterilization and the control of the material undergoing treatment, the apparatus is isolated from the atmosphere and sterile conditions are maintained throughout.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our vapplication Serial No. 387,345, filed October 21, 125 3, now abandoned.

We claim:

1. A valve structure comprising a housing having a first pair of aligned ports provided with opposed parallel valve seats and an intermediate port provided with a valve seat, first valve means for alternately closing said first pair of ports, second valve means normally resiliently biased for closing said intermediate port and valveactuating means for selectively and positively opening said intermediate port, said valve-actuating means including a stem retractable from a valve-operating position in the path of the first valve means to a position permitting operation of said first valve means.

2. A structure comprising a valve housing having a pair of aligned ports provided with opposed parallel valve seats and an intermediate port provided with a valve seat, a chamber communicating with said housing through one of said aligned ports, a first valve means for alternately closing the valve seats of said aligned ports and for establishing and discontinuing communication between said housing and said chamber, second valve means normally biased for closing said intermediate port and operable during the communication of said housing and chamber to permit flow of material through the chamber, the housing, and out of said intermediate port, and valve-actuating means for said second valve means operable upon discontinued communication of said housing and chamber to control the flow of material through said valve housing and the intermediate port independent of said chamber.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein a valve actuatingmechanism for controlling the first valve comprises anair cylinder and stem located within said chamber and wherein said valve-actuating means is carried within an opposed port in said housing and comprisesva stem retractable from a valve-operating position in the path of the first valve means to a position permitting operation of said first valve means.

4. In an apparatus for use in the sterile treatment and packaging of a fluent material having a plurality of interconnected zones excluded from the atmosphere andineluding a source of sterilizing fluid supply, a source of material supply, a material-treating zone and packaging unit, the combination of a body having a chamber provided with a sterilizing fluid supply and material supply port and also having a pressure-relief valve connected thereto, a valve housing having a pair of aligned ports provided with opposed parallel valve seats, the first of said ports being a material packaging port and the second port communicating with said chamber and an intermediate material-treating zone port having a valve seat; a first valve means for alternately closing the valve seats of the aligned ports, controlling the passage of material from said housing and for establishing and discontinuing communication between said housing and said chamber; a second valve means normally biased to close said intermediate port and operable during the communication of said housing and chamber to permit flow of material from said supply port through the chamber, the housing and out of said intermediate port, and valve-actuating means for said second valve means operable upon discontinued communication of said housing and chamber to control a fiow of material from said intermediate port through the valve housing and to said packaging port independent of said chamber.

5. A structure comprising a valve housing having a pair of spaced ports provided with opposed valve seats and an intermediate port provided with a valve seat, a chamber communicating with said housing through one of said spaced ports, a first valve means for alternately closing said spaced ports and for establishing and discontinuing communication between said housing and said chamber, second valve means normally resiliently biased for closing said intermediate port and operable during the communication of said housing and chamber'to permit flow of' material through the chamber, the housing, and

out of said intermediate port, and valve-actuating means communication of said housing and chamber to control the flow of material through said valve housing and the intermediate port independent of said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 374,310 Madden Dec. 6, 1887 6 Bailey Sept. 10, 1901 Bertram Mar. 22, 1904 Bowers Jan. 21, 1908 Lithgow Sept. 14, 1937 Newhall May 31, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Sept. 19, 1917 

